Sunday, July 10, 2016

Cologne: Yet Another Museum

Today it was the Wallraf-Richartz Museum, with holdings from the Middle Ages to the 19th C.

Our walk there went through the train station, up the steps of the Cathedral, and then past a pleasant park with a wading pond for kids and a good view of another big church.

The first floor of the museum contains a really splendid collection of alterpieces, mostly from the late Middle Ages. We knew virtually nothing about this art form, and expected to be bored and give it short shrift, but in fact we spent several hours looking al them.

There were also some smaller pieces—portrait-sized—including this truly exquisite Madonna. This is a detail of the full painting.

There were also some minor details of large paintings, such as this unhappy child tucked off in a corner, that were irresistible.

On the third floor were 19th C paintings, including a goodly number of German expressionists. I particularly liked the work of Max Lieberman (self-portrait above)

and Lovis Corinth (self-portrait above).

The Cologne Rathaus (City Hall) is nearby, and we spent a little time admiring the statues on the exterior. It's as elaborate as a church, and has been partly restored after being badly damaged by bombs in 1943. Those parts of the building that couldn't be restored have been rebuilt in modern style.